There's gotta be a mistake. He's too nice

But Nate Bargatze's job of hosting the Emmys may be just what we need now.

- BY NATE JACKSON

NATE BARGATZE is playing back-to-back arena shows in Denver before hosting Sunday's Emmys.

Nate Bargatze probably isn’t the Emmys host most people were expecting — which seems to be the reason he’s hosting.

The Tennessee-bred comedian doesn’t live in Hollywood. He’s nice, polite and genuinely seems to want the best for people. So basically ... we're not exactly sure how he got the gig.

But like the George Washington character he famously portrayed on “Saturday Night Live,” the measure and logic of his popularity are hard to quantify, yet it's oddly reasonable to the average American.

What Bargatze cultivates in comedy is a radical sense of safeness at a time when things feel hopelessly the opposite.

Talking to him days before hosting the 77th edition of the awards, it’s clear that he knows his role is to entertain, make people laugh and move the night along. Behind that simple directive, there’s a genius to his slow, Southern gentleman persona that has made him the country’s highest-grossing stand-up comedian. So much so that he’s doing two back-to-back arena shows in Denver before the awards show just as a warmup.

With a reputation for clean comedy and fostering a sense of stability for his fellow stand-ups under his ever-expanding production company, Nateland, Bargatze continues his mild-mannered hot streak. Viewers may tune in to root for just that, even if they care less and less about awards shows.

Bargatze spoke to The Times about his hosting game plan, the importance of using the awards show as a platform to spotlight stand-up comedy and his idea for keeping the winners' thank-you speeches on Sunday mercifully short.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

Have you ever watched the Emmys?

Uh, yeah, I've watched the Emmys. [Pause] Yes. I want to think if I've watched ...yeah, I've watched them. You know what - I think I watched 'em.

I would probably say that too.